GOP philosophy on display in new Florida laws: Impoverish, Violate and Demoralize

[seafan]

Many new Florida laws reflect GOP philosophy

By BILL KACZOR
Associated Press

June 26, 2011

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida will take another step into an era of declining expectations from its cash-strapped state government this week when the most austere in a series of tight annual budgets goes into effect.

It's one of about 160 statutes that will go on the books Friday, the beginning of a new fiscal year.

Many of those laws, including the budget, carry out the conservative governing philosophies of Republican Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP-majority Legislature.

.....

Here is merely a partial inventory of this session's Republican destruction in the state of Florida:



1. Deregulates landline telephone service


2. Eliminates about 4,500 state jobs (that are presently filled).


3. Cuts $1.35 billion in education spending


4. $300 million in tax cuts


5. Increases in college and university tuition by 8 percent; 7 percent additional increases (by Board of Governors) on the state's 11 public universities, totaling a 15 percent tuition hike


6. Shrinks 655,000 public employees' pay by a new pension law requiring 3% of workers' paychecks be paid into the Florida Retirement System for the first time in Florida's history


7. Turns Florida's Medicaid system over to for-profit companies and hospital networks


8. Requires welfare applicants to take drug tests at their own expense


9. Legislative refusal to fund the prescription drug abuse monitoring system. Legislative barriers erected against pharmaceutical companies, prohibiting them from funding the monitoring system


10. Excludes abortion from policies obtained through insurance exchanges to be set up via the new federal health care law


11. Requires women to undergo ultrasound procedures before receiving an abortion


12. Weakens traditional public schools:

a. Expands online (virtual) learning
b. Requires students to take at least one virtual course before they can graduate
c. Expands vouchers to disabled students, now amended to include allergies, asthma and diabetes
d. Gives expanded contracts, training and technical help to charter schools


13. Dismantling the Department of Community Affairs



And this last one should not be overlooked:


14. Exemption from the state's public records laws for photos, videos, audio records of deaths


We remember Martin Lee Anderson.

May he rest in peace.





The battle against GOP-engineered regression and despair rages on in Florida.

[classof56]

1. Thank you for the list and the link to Martin's story.

What a beautiful young man. I hope he is resting in peace. Florida is in such a sad state of affairs. I'm wondering if its citizens will ever be able to rest in peace. I'm stunned.

Tired Old Cynic

[Overseas]

2. I hope he can be recalled too.

All the Republican 2010 Hit Squad Governors need to be recalled.

[seafan]

4. Florida has no recall provision for the Governor, Legislators or Cabinet.

Not in our Constitution.

Some unsuccessful legislation was attempted this past session. Republican legislative leadership would not even discuss it.

There has been some talk about a citizen ballot initiative concerning the idea of a recall for a governor, lieutenant governor, cabinet and legislators, but nothing concrete that I've heard as yet.


The worst thing about it is the damage that these people will do to Florida in the meantime.


In the interim, we Floridians have to live vicariously through the people's magnificent recall efforts in Wisconsin.

[atreides1]

3. "The battle against GOP-engineered regression and despair rages on in Florida."

Who's fighting this supposed battle? The Repukes have complete control of every level of state government...and control of just about every house and senate district!

It's a battle of the nobility against the peasants, and the peasants don't have a chance!!!

Keep up the fight, but in the end it won't matter!